Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Amazon has apologized to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), saying the company's recent tweet denying that drivers urinate in water bottles was "incorrect."
What they're saying: "[W]e know that drivers can and do have trouble finding restrooms because of traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this has been especially the case during Covid when many public restrooms have been closed," the company wrote in a blog post.
- Amazon added the issue is not unique to the organization and that the company is looking for ways to solve it, saying that they "don’t yet know how, but will look for solutions."
Flashback: The Verge in 2018 reported that Amazon employees were forced to skip bathroom breaks to fulfill high demand for deliveries. At the time, employees said they felt pressured to meet company goals.
Context: Pocan criticized Amazon's working conditions last week, tweeting: "Paying workers $15/hr doesn’t make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles."
- Amazon News replied: "You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us."
- Vice released a report the following day showing pictures of bottles and other containers filled with urine. One Amazon driver told the outlet that drivers felt pressured to complete deliveries quickly and finding restrooms could slow them down.
Amazon said its tweet to Pocan "did not contemplate our large driver population and instead wrongly focused only on our fulfillment centers."